Job summary
- Main area
- Clinical Senate
- Grade
- MDL1
- Contract
- Fixed term: 7 months (until 31/10/2026. Secondment only for NHSE employees)
- Hours
- Part time - 2 sessions per week (8 hours per week)
- Job ref
- 990-LON-786-E
- Employer
- NHS England
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- 10 South Colannade
- Town
- London
- Salary
- £105,000 per annum pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 24/02/2026 23:59
- Interview date
- 11/03/2026
Employer heading
Clinical Senate Chair
MDL1
Our Organisation
The NHS is building a culture that is positive, compassionate and inclusive – and we all have our part to play.
As employers we are committed to protecting and promoting the physical and mental health and wellbeing of all our colleagues. This underpins our values as set out in the NHS Constitution and supports us to be an Employer of Choice, while helping our colleagues to deliver high quality services for our patients and communities.
As a flexible employer, we want to support you to work in a way that is best for the NHS, our patients and you. Talk to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time, hybrid working or another flexible pattern. In addition, although the role advertised may have a ‘home’ office base indicated, we remain committed to supporting flexibility around workplace locations. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
We are an accredited Living Wage Employer which means that every colleague working for our organisation and third-party contractors will earn a real Living Wage. We are one of over 15,000 organisations, who voluntarily chose to pay the real Living Wage.
Job overview
We are seeking applications from experienced practicing clinicians, with system leadership experience and evidence of a commitment to delivery of the 10 Year Plan, for an exciting opportunity to lead this independent clinical body which provides strategic advice and leadership to support best healthcare in London.
The London Clinical Senate provides independent, strategic advice and leadership for healthcare in London, bringing together a broad range of experienced health and care professionals with patients and carers. It is an important part of London’s support to the capital’s Integrated Care Boards to deliver the best health and care outcomes for patients, their families and communities.
We do this by:
• Providing independent clinical advice on major service change to support the NHS England assurance process
• Acting as a clinical critical friend
• Enabling leadership development
• Supporting learning and sharing across systems regionally and nationally
• Working through our strong patient and public partnership model.
The Senate is a non-statutory body hosted by NHS England London. The Senate Council consists of multi-professional health and social care leaders as well as a Patient and Public Voice perspective from patients, carers and citizens.
As an established advisory body, the Clinical Senate can bring together independent multi-disciplinary expertise and experience and at no additional cost to commissioners and providers.
Main duties of the job
The Chair leads the strategic and operational development and delivery of coherent and effective senate arrangements to shape strategic change and improve the quality of services provided to London's population. Supported by the Head of Senate and Vice Chair they ensure activities are aligned to and support commissioners in improving outcomes for patients and to benefit population health.
The postholder has overall responsibility for clinical leadership, engagement and influence of Senate activities, and chairs Council meetings, overseeing relevant clinical senate reviews and working groups and ensuring effective Patient and Public Voice input.
The regional clinical senate is a flexible and adaptable resource meeting the evolving nature of NHSE and the overall commissioning landscape whilst retaining its independent and impartial remit.
We are looking to appoint a Chair for 2 sessions per week until 31st October 2026 on a fixed term contract or secondment basis (with potential for extension). The chair must be a clinician with recent and in-depth experience and knowledge of the local London healthcare landscape and of working within the London region and with a current registration to their professional body; the remuneration will be medical leader 1 or an equivalent professional salary if the successful applicant is non-medically qualified. Salary payable will be subject to offer
The hours would be worked flexibly and require occasional travel across the London region.
Working for our organisation
Our work supports the NHS to deliver high quality services for patients and best value for taxpayers.
Our staff bring expertise across hundreds of specialisms — including clinical, operational, commissioning, technology, data science, cyber security, software engineering, education, and commercial — enabling us to design and deliver high-quality NHS services.
We lead the NHS in England by:
- Enabling local systems and providers to improve the health of their people and patients and reduce health inequalities
- Making the NHS a great place to work, where our people can make a difference and achieve their potential
- Working collaboratively to ensure our healthcare workforce has the right knowledge, skills, values and behaviours to deliver accessible, compassionate care
- Optimising the use of digital technology, research, and innovation
- Delivering value for money
Earlier this year, the Government announced that NHS England will gradually merge with the Department of Health and Social Care, leading to full integration. The aim is to create a smaller, more strategic centre that reduces duplication and eliminates waste.
If successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You may opt out at any stage of the recruitment process.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see the attached job description and person specification for a detailed explanation of the main responsibilities of the post.
Secondments
Applicants from within the NHS will be offered on a secondment basis only, agreement should be obtained from their employer prior to submitting the application.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Clinician with current registration to appropriate professional body (medical or other).
- Post-graduate or management qualification
Knowledge and experience
Essential criteria
- System leadership experience and evidence of a commitment to delivery of the 10 Year Plan
- Knowledge and experience of working in formal clinical networks within the NHS
- A good understanding of how to use data and financial incentives to improve quality and productivity
- Experience of operating in complex, highly political environments
- Experience of developing, applying and reviewing an evidence-based approach to decision making
Skills and capabilities
Essential criteria
- Able to navigate and negotiate the NHS and the wider health, social care and political landscape
- Excellent leadership skills and the ability to build and motivate high performing teams
- Strong intellectual, strategic, and systemic thinking skills, with the ability to think creatively and laterally to achieve outcomes
Values and behaviours
Essential criteria
- Demonstrable commitment to and focus on quality, promotes high standards to consistently improve patient outcomes
- Demonstrably involves patients and the public in their work
- Works across boundaries, looks for collective success, listens, involves, respects and learns from the contribution of others
Equality, diversity and inclusion
Essential criteria
- Will consider the most effective way to promote equality of opportunity and good working relationships in employment and service delivery and has the ability to take actions which support and promote this agenda
- Values diversity and difference, operates with integrity and openness
- Self-awareness in terms of emotional intelligence, biases and personal triggers with cultural sensitivity and awareness
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Chris Streather
- Job title
- Regional Medical Director
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07940 734811
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